Rx for Canceled Cycles - It Works!
Dec 29, 2021
Canceled Cycle? Don't Worry, We Got This
Nobody wants to get that call. With a cancelled cycle there are feelings of frustration, anger and sadness. There’s also the question of “what’s next?” First and foremost, your Reproductive Endocrinologist will likely want to tweak your IVF protocol for the next round. But that’s not all that you can do. Holistic therapies like acupuncture, massage and nutritional supplements have been shown to help many of the issues above, largely through their profound impact on the nervous system and hormonal regulation. We’re confident about our ability to help because, in fact, many women come to Pulling Down the Moon after a failed cycle, when their disappointment and loss of confidence in their ability to conceive pushes them to hop online and schedule an appointment.
There are a lot of reasons an IVF cycle can be cancelled. Sometimes a woman’s ovaries don’t respond well to ovarian stimulation drugs, and other times they respond too much, leading to a condition called Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). Most frustratingly, sometimes a cycle is not canceled until after egg retrieval. This can be because the fertility doctor does not find mature eggs to collect during retrieval, or the eggs retrieved don’t fertilize or form embryos with viability issues. And sometimes a cycle goes great and eggs are retrieved and fertilized, but uterine lining isn’t at a point where it is receptive to implantation.
From a holistic perspective, our goal post-cancellation is to help you bring your body back into balance so that you are ready for your next cycle - natural or medicated. What does it me to bring the body back into balance post-cancellation?
Here’s our checklist:
- Balance your nervous system. Medical fertility treatment is stressful and the repeated stress events of a medicated cycle (blood draws, hormone injections, ultrasounds and monitoring visits) can keep our Sympathetic Nervous System (“fight or flight” response) chronically active. This has adverse consequences for sleep, digestion, inflammation, reproductive hormone regulation and blood flow. Yoga is a powerful way to balance the nervous system and research shows that regular yoga has a lasting positive impact on nervous system regulation. Massage and acupuncture also help to move our body from “fight or flight” into a more balanced, relaxed state. Balance your nervous system with this restorative yoga series.
- Detoxify your body. Between the sex hormones and the stress hormones, it’s really important to pay attention to your body’s detoxification systems after a failed cycle. While it’s tempting to drown disappointment in wine and/or junk food, our goal is to work towards trying again and that means supporting the body’s detoxification processes. So, limit your intake of caffeine and alcohol and add detoxifying foods like antioxidant-rich berries and cruciferous vegetables to your diet to help your liver work more efficiently. Yoga and our Cleanse the Body massage also help to move toxins from your body.
- Reconnect with yourself. A cancelled cycle can make you feel like you’re lost and/or broken. We cannot overstate the power of recapturing your courage and seeing your own strength. All of our offerings - from our free patient education events to our individualized services - will help you feel more positive, grounded and in control. In fact, two published studies show our online Yoga for Fertility class lowers stress and anxiety by 20% in women undergoing IVF. As the noise of stress and anxiety begins to quiet, our clients find new reserves of strength and resilience for their next cycle.
We have so many ways to support you after a cancelled cycle - from
free classes to acupuncture, yoga, massage and nutrition services - so instead of freaking out please give us a call 312-321-0004 or email
info@pullingdownthemoon.com to let us help you make your next cycle a winner!
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There are many reasons that a therapeutic yoga program may benefit women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS presents very differently in different women but the syndrome as whole is associated with infertility and other adverse health conditions including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Women with PCOS may also have higher levels of chronic inflammation and elevated levels of circulating stress hormones. The good news is that more and more research suggests that lifestyle intervention including lifestyle intervention including diet and exercise may be the best way to manage PCOS. In addition, new research is showing the benefit of Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat the hormonal imbalances, symptoms like hirsutism and acne, and menstrual irregularity that is associated with PCOS. Another element of PDtM’s PCOS “Action Plan is yoga. Yoga has been shown to lower levels of stress hormones and women with a regular yoga practice have been show to have a “healthier physiological response to stress". Yoga has also been shown to reduce markers of oxidative stress and blood sugar control in people with diabetes as well as improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels in heart disease patients (1). Some of the goals of a therapeutic yoga practice for PCOS include: Standing and seated yoga asana that create an invigorating, but not exhausting, exercise session Twisting poses, which in yoga physiology are believed to help decrease abdominal fat Postures that bring blood to the thyroid gland, an important endocrine gland for metabolism Stimulating agni, the digestive fire, that supports complete digestion and metabolism of foods Mudras (hand yoga) that stimulate different physiological and energetic systems Breathing exercises that induce the relaxation response While lifestyle changes can be very helpful with PCOS, they are not enough on their own. Working in partnership with you physician or Reproductive Endocrinologist and ensuring they are kept up to date on any holistic treatments you may be using is the smartest approach for PCOS management. Yoga for Fertility to support PCOS is available at Pulling Down the Moon in-center starting on Sept 21st and virtually starting on Sept 30th . If you would like to learn more about PDtM’s PCOS Action Plan to manager your PCOS Action Plan with holistic health treatment ( Acupuncture , Massage , Nutrition , and Yoga ) then contact us at 312-321-0004 or email info@pullingdownthemoon.com to get started today! (1) Field, T. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 17 (2011) 1e8
Discover effective supplements that support fertility and boost your chances of conception. Learn how vitamins and minerals can enhance reproductive health.
As I’ve said before, it took me seven years and five pregnancies to get two kids. So, while pregnancy was a joyful time for me on some levels, it was also a time of stress and sleepless anxiety. In fact my business partner Tami will often joke that my pregnancies were some of the most stressful times of her life. Honestly, though, without yoga, massage and acupuncture I think I would have bitten my fingernails to the quick waiting for Jackson and Calvin to arrive safely. What I didn’t know then was that seeking relief for anxiety through holistic means was also good for my boys. A growing body of clinical evidence now suggests that prenatal stress, depression and/or anxiety is linked to adverse health outcomes for both moms and babies including preterm birth, preeclampsia and even future risk of chronic disease and obesity (1). Women, especially women who have struggled to conceive, may feel guilty about experiencing anxious emotions during this “blissful time". Yet preparing for a new baby, no matter how hard one had to work to get it, can be stressful. Changes in the body during pregnancy, including the strains of a growing belly and nighttime muscle cramps, can also disrupt sleep, which increases stress. Rather than worry about worrying, we suggest you take the bull by the horns and enjoy a 360 degree self-care program during pregnancy. And honestly, it will never again be as easy to justify self-care like acupuncture , massage and yoga as it is when your efforts are a “double-dip – good for mom and great for baby. Here are several strategies for decreasing maternal stress and improving overall well-being during pregnancy: 1. Get acupuncture. A 2010 study in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that acupuncture treatment alleviated symptoms of stress and depression in pregnant women and women experiencing infertility (2, 3). Acupuncture has also been shown to be effective at managing morning sickness, back and pelvic pain and labor pain. Make sure, however, that you see a practitioner who is experienced in treating pregnancy. 2. Do prenatal yoga. Compared to controls, women who did prenatal yoga experienced significant reductions in physical pain from baseline to post intervention compared with women in the third trimester whose pain increased. Women in the yoga group showed greater reductions in perceived stress and trait anxiety in their third trimester than women from the control group (4) The same women also experienced better sleep and less wakefulness (5). 3. Get prenatal massage. Research shows that women who received prenatal massage reported decreased depression, anxiety, and leg and back pain. Cortisol levels decreased, which decreased excessive fetal activity; the rate of baby prematurity was also lower (6). 4. Seek expert prenatal nutrition counseling. There are specific nutritional strategies for managing weight gain, avoiding conditions like Gestational Diabetes and Pre-eclampsia and improving digestion (less heartburn, avoid constipation). At Pulling Down the Moon we target our prenatal nutrition consults based on trimester. Get your passport to pregnancy relaxation by getting started today with prenatal care in Chicago , Highland Park , or virtually ! Gift certificates are also available at our online store shop.pullingdownthemoon.com . 1. Entringer S et al. Prenatal stress and developmental programming of human health and disease risk: concepts and integration of empirical findings. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2010 Dec;17(6):507-16. 2. Smith CA. 1. SMith The effect of acupuncture on psychosocial outcomes for women experiencing infertility. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Oct;17(10):923-30. Epub 2011 Oct 6 . 3. Manber et al. Acupuncture for depression during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Mar;115(3):511-20. 4. Beddoe AE et al. The effects of mindfulness-based yoga during pregnancy on maternal psychological and physical distress. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2009 May-Jun;38(3):310-9. 5. Beddoe AE et al. Effects of mindful yoga on sleep in pregnant women: a pilot study. Biol Res Nurs. 2010 Apr;11(4):363-70. 6. Field, T. (2010). Pregnancy and labor massage therapy. Expert Review of Obstetrics and Gynecology , 5, 177-181.
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